Alysha Newman Advances to NCAA Championships
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The University of Miami track and field program had one student-athlete earn a trip to the NCAA Championships and several others advance closer to earning a trip to Oregon.
Alysha Newman was the first Hurricane to advance to the NCAA Championships, while four others moved on to the quarterfinals in their respective events on what was a productive opening day at the 2015 NCAA East Preliminary.
“I was really pleased with the women,” Miami director of track and field/cross country Amy Deem said. “I thought we had a really good opening day. We did what we needed to do on the track and all the girls ran well. The goal is to come back and do the same thing tomorrow and Alysha will have quite a few more people with her.”
Newman punched her ticket to the NCAA Championships in Oregon, earning one of the coveted 12 qualifying spots at the NCAA East Preliminary. The junior cleared 4.18m to advance to the NCAA finals in Eugene.
“I am really excited to go back to nationals,” Newman said. “I felt like last year in Eugene didn’t go the way I wanted, so I am excited to earn another chance to compete there. And to be the first one from our team to qualify is fun. Hopefully it starts great momentum for my teammates this weekend.”
Shakima Wimbley won Heat 1 and advanced to the quarterfinals in the women’s 400m with a time of 51.73 seconds. Wimbley will look to earn a trip to the NCAA Championships at 6 p.m. Friday.
Jamika Glades and Kelsey Balkwill each advanced to the quarterfinals in the women’s 400m hurdles. Balkwill won Heat 2 with a personal-best time of 57.32 seconds, while Glades finished second in Heat 2 with a time of 57.89 seconds. The Hurricane duo will compete for a chance to go to Oregon on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Taneisha Cordell was the final Hurricane to advance on Thursday. The senior finished third in Heat 1 of the women’s 800m with a time of 2:05.67 to qualify for the quarterfinals scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on Friday.
“For Kelsey and Jamika to go 1-2 in their heat, Shakima to win her heat and Taneisha to finish third in her heat, I think that built a lot of momentum going into the rest of the weekend,” Deem said.
In the field events, Tiffany Okieme posted a mark of 15.76m in the women’s shot put, finishing 13th but not advancing beyond the NCAA East Preliminary. The junior will look to earn a trip to Oregon in the hammer throw at 1:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.
“Tiffany competed her butt off, “ Deem said. “To get that 13th spot is tough. I felt bad for her because she had a really good series. I was hoping she would sneak in.”
John-Patrick Friday just missed qualifying for nationals in the long jump, placing 15th with a mark of 7.45m. Friday will compete in the men’s triple jump on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.
“JP competed very hard and fell just short, but he has another opportunity in the triple jump,” Deem said. “I am looking forward to seeing the guys run in the 110 hurdles tomorrow and in the shot put on Saturday.”
Christian Cook posted a time of 52.62 seconds, but did not advance in the 400m hurdles. The senior will compete in the men’s 110m hurdles on Friday at 5:30 p.m. ET.
Several other Hurricanes competed on Thursday, but saw their season come to an end.
Robert Grant did not advance in the 400m hurdles, crossing the finish line in 53.90 seconds. Henri Delauze competed in the men’s 400m, finishing in 47.39 seconds. Carlos Mangum’s best throw in the men’s hammer was 61.79m, putting him 25th place at the NCAA East Preliminary.
Friday’s competition will feature Glades opening the running action in the women’s 100m hurdles at 5 p.m., while Cook will compete in the 110m hurdles at 5:30 p.m., and Wimbley will run the 200m at 8 p.m. Miami will also look to have several athletes competing in the quarterfinal in the 400m, 800m and 400m hurdles. In the field, the Canes will have Precious Ogunleye competing in the women’s discus at noon, while Gian Piero Ragonesi will throw the men’s discus at 4 p.m.
Miami has three competitors scheduled to open Saturday’s action in the women’s hammer at 1:30 p.m., as Ogunleye, Okieme and Lea Johnson will look to earn a trip to the NCAA Championships in Oregon. Ragonesi and Daniel Polinski will compete in the men’s shot put at 5 p.m., while Dakota Dailey-Harris will look to earn her second straight trip to Oregon when they women’s high jump begins at 6 p.m. Friday is scheduled to be Miami’s final competitor in the field events, competing in the men’s triple jump at 7 p.m.
In addition to all the action in the field events Saturday, Miami will look to have competitors advance to Oregon in the women’s 100m hurdles, men’s 110m hurdles and women’s 200m. The Hurricane women’s 4x400m relay relay pool of Wimbley, Cordell, Balkwill, Glades, Anthonia Moore and Amy Taintor will be the final Canes on the track, competing at 9:25 p.m.
The Preliminary championships competitions will be held May 28-30. The East region will be held at North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida, and the West region at the University of Texas at Austin in Austin, Texas. The qualifiers out of these regions will compete in the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships held June 10-13 in Eugene, Oregon.
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